Dump scow door winding and releasing arrangement



M. H. KLEE Oct. 8, 1968 DUMP SCOW DOOR WINDING AND RELEASING ARRANGEMENT 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 19, 1965 INVENTOR no /e50 15, 2&55

M ATTORNEYS M. H. KLEE 3,404,484

DUMP SCOW DOOR WINDING AND RELEASING ARRANGEMENT Oct. 8, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 19, 1965 IIIII 1111 111 III tiff/IIIIIIIIIIJ fill! Ill!!! Iii!!! INVENTOR .ZfiA/Fasa-E 12.55

ATTORNEYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 J INVENTOR fi/VHQED [5. X155 ATTORNEYS a V? W E 2255 & L A QM- L E M. H. KLEE DUMP SCOW DOOR WINDING AND RELEASING ARRANGEMENT Oct. 8, 1968 Filed Oct. 19, 1965 DUMP scow DOOR WINDING ANDRELEASING ARRANGEMENT Filed 0013. 19, 1965 M. H. KLEE Oct. 8, 1968 4 Sheets-Sweet 4 United States Patent 3,404,484 DUMP SCOW DOOR WINDING AND RELEASING ARRANGEMENT Manfred H. Klee, Port Deposit, Md., assignor to Wiley Manufacturing Company, Port Deposit, Md., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 498,020 4 Claims. (Cl. 49-95) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A system for raising and lowering dump scow doors provides for a first cable connected to a winding shaft and to the doors of an individual compartment of the dump scow for raising the doors of that compartment when the first cable is wound up onto the winding shaft. A second cable is also connected to the winding shaft and provides for a winding up of the first cable when the second cable is unwound from a drum on the winding shaft. The second cable is unwound when it is selectively connected to a moving endless chain means which run along the deck of the dump scow so as to actuate any or all of the second cables associated with separate compartments of the dump scow.

This invention relates to dump scows, and has particular reference to a means for winding and releasing the doors of dump scows.

Dump scows are well known in the art as characterized by the \Marotte et al. Patent 1,609,179, and such vessels are usually divided into a number of compartments having doors mounted at the base of the compartments and in the bottom of the vessel so that contents of the compartments can be discharged through the bottom when the doors are opened. In large dump scow vessels, there are a number of compartments and doors which require actuation to open the doors for dumping, and after dumping, it is necessary to close each of the doors so as to seal the compartments for subsequent use.

The present invention is concerned with a door winding and releasing mechanism for closing and opening the bottom doors of a dump scow type of vessel. The doors are mounted in pairs so as to swing downwardly and away from each other when being opened. The opening of the doors for dumping is accomplished by a hydraulic control system which disengages a pawl from a ratchettripping mechanism, and the doors then swing downwardly and open by gravity. The speed of opening the doors is controlled by a brake mechanism associated with a winding drum, and the brake controls the speed with which chain is let out to accommodate the opening of the doors.

The opened doors are raised to their closed position by a winding mechanism which winds up a cable or chain attached to the upper surface of each of the doors. The chain is wound on a drum, and in this manner the various pairs of doors associated with the dilferent compartments of the scow are wound up by separate drums associated with each pair of doors. The present invention also includes a continuous chain or cable means which runs the length of the deck of the dump scow and which is moved by a hydraulic motor means mounted on one end of the deck. The continuous chain or cable running along the entire deck provides a means by which all of the pairs of doors of the plurality of compartments contained within the dump scow may be wound up rapidly after a dumping operation. The winding mechanism which runs the length of the deck can be connected to each of the separate winding drums by a cable and hook means, and the separate drums can then be pulled to wind up each of the separate doors. By using an endless chain for the winding of the doors, the separate pairs of doors can be connected to the chain by a hook device which is held in place by the chain links. After winding the doors and fixing their positions by the usual winding drum means, the chain link connectors can be disconnected until a subsequent winding operation is required.

The dump scow winding mechanism is provided with a hydraulically operated motor means. which is utilized for moving the endless chain in the desired direction for winding up the plurality of doors in pairs or simultaneously. The hydraulically operated motor is of a conventional construction but provides, in combination with the endless chain means, a reliable power source for rapidly winding the plurality of doors. Further, the hydraulic motor is capable of withstanding the stresses and weights involved in winding all of the doors of a large dump scow vessel.

These and other alvantages will become apparent in the more detailed discussion which follows. The detailed discussion will make reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 represents a top view of a dump scow having three compartments with a pair of dumping doors at the bottom of each compartment;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view taken on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1, and illustrating the winding drum mechanism for lifting and closing a pair of doors with a single drum;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of one end of the dump scow, showing the hydraulic means for operating the endless chain and for releasing individual compartments;

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of the FIGURE 3 portion of the dump scow, showing the endless chain and 'windup linkages from the individual compartments for winding up selected compartment doors;

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view showing a ratchet and pawl device which is connected to each winding drum of each separate compartment for holding the dump doors in locked, closed positions. The pawl device can be selectively released by hydraulic means for dumping a prescribed compartment;

FIGURE 6 is an elevational detailed view of a tensioning device associated with one end of the endless chain; and

FIGURE 7 is a schematic view of a hydraulic control system for releasing selected pairs of doors for dumping.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the vessel is indicated generally at 10, and the top view of this vessel shows a plurality of compartments or hoppers 12 arranged along its length. The compartments are separate sections of the vessel for containing material which is to be hauled across a waterway for dumping at a selected location. Each of the compartments 12 extends to the bottom of the vessel, and the bottoms of the compartments include pairs of dump doors 14 and 16 which are hinged for pivotal movement from opposite sides of the vessel so as to fall downwardly when opened to dump the contents contained within the compartment which is opened. This arrangement of dump doors in the bottom of a compartment in a dump scow vessel is conventional and does not form a part of this invention. Separate winding mechanisms are provided for each of the separate compartments 12 for winding the doors upwardly into closed positions once a dumping operation has been completed. The winding mechanisms may be in the form of winding shafts and windlasses 18, which can be rotated to wind up cables or chains connected to the separate dump doors 14 and 16. In this manner, the pairs of doors are pulled upwardly to closed positions simultaneously. In the illustrated form of the invention two winding mechanisms are associated with each pair of compartment doors, however in certain constructions it would be possible to operate a pair of doors with a single winding mechanism.

A typical winding arrangement is shown in FIGURE 2 wherein the separate cables are connected to the separate dump doors 14 and 16 so as to lift them to the closed position illustrated and to hold them in that position until the cables are released by a winding means associated with the shaft 18. The separate cables 20 are positioned through a sheave 26 so that when the chain or cable means 28 is wound about the shaft 18 there is a simultaneous lifting of the pair of doors 14 and 16. When it is desired to open the doors for dumping the contents of a compartment the chain means 28 is unwound from the shaft 18, and gravity causes the contents of the compartment to push the doors downwardly into the open position illustrated by dotted lines. Prior art mechanisms have required a power Windlass or other means to wind up the separate shafts 18 which are associated with each of the compartments 12 so as to close the bottom doors of the compartment once a dumping operation has been completed. The present invention provides for a single power operated means which is position-ed to be moved alongside of all of the compartments of a particular vessel and which includes means for connecting selected compartments to the power operated means when it is desired to close the doors of the selected compartment. The power operated means for selectively winding the doors of any compartment is preferably in the form of an endless chain 30 which is mounted to run the length of the dump scow vessel and to pass by each of the winding shafts associated with the separate compartments along the length of the vessel. The endless chain 30 is carried around sheave elements 32 and 34 to the opposite ends of the deck, and a power motor means 36 is connected to one end of the endless chain for driving the chain and moving it past the plurality of compartments in the vessel. An opposite end of the endless chain 30 is mounted so that its tension can be adjusted, and this feature will be described in greater detail below.

Each of the winding shafts 18, associated with the separate compartments 12, includes means for receiving a cable for winding up the doors which are carried at the bottom of a compartment. The winding means may include a winding drum or other device for receiving the chain 28, and in the illustrated form of the invention, the chain 28 is wrapped around the winding shaft 18 upon actuation of that shaft. A separate winding drum 38 is carried by each winding shaft 18 and is rigidly affixed thereto so that a rotation of the drum will result in a rotation of the winding shaft 18. The winding drum carries a cable or chain means 40 which is normally wound around the drum in a stored condition until it is desired to raise the doors of the compartment associated with a particular winding drum. The cable or chain means is secured by its innermost end to the base of the winding drum 38, and an opposite end of the cable is free and includes means for detachably connecting the cable to the endless chain means 30. The fastening means may be in the form of a hook 42 or other device which can be linked to the endless chain means 30 and which can be easily removed from the endless chain. When it is desired to raise the doors of a given compartment, the free end of a cable 40 associated with that compartment is linked to the endless chain 30 and the endless chain is moved along the deck so as to unwind the cable from the winding drum 38 thereby winding the chain 28 about a portion of the winding shaft 18. In the preferred form of the invention, a projecting member 44 is carried on one wall of a braking drum 45 or of the winding drum, and a free end of the chain 28 is attached to the projecting member so as to carry the chain around the winding shaft upon actuation of the drum. The winding shafts 18 also include suitable locking devices so that the shafts can be locked in any desired position. Thus, the doors of a compartment can be raised by attaching the connecting cable 40 from the winding drum to the endless chain means 30, and then the endless chain means is actuated to move along the deck and to cause a Winding of the chain 28 so as to raise the doors 14 and 16 to their closed positions as shown in FIGURE 2. Once the doors reach their closed positions, the endless chain means 30 is stopped, and the locking means 50 is set to prevent further rotational movement of the shaft 18. The connecting cable 40 is then released from the endless chain means 30.

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate the forward end of the vessel 10 and the driving means 36 for the endless chain 30. The endless chain is mounted about a driving means 48 which is suitably mounted for rotation in any well known manner, and a motor means 36 is mounted in a position to drive the endless chain 30. In the preferred form of the invention, the motor means 36 is a hydraulically operated device which drives a sprocket wheel 48. The sprocket wheel includes pockets about its periphery for receiving individual chain links of the chain 30 for positively driving the chain without slipping. The motor means 36 also includes conventional control devices (not shown) for starting and stopping the motor and for controlling the movement of the endless chain 30. FIG- URES 3 and 4 also illustrate the positions of braking means 45 about the winding shaft 18. The braking means are hydraulically or electrically actuated and a separate braking means is carried on each of the winding shafts associated with the various compartments of the vessel. The braking means 45 includes members which can be brought into frictional engagement with the winding shafts 18 to retard or stop their rotational movements. This braking means is used for controlling the opening rate of the doors 14 and 16 for a compartment when the contents are being dumped and the shaft 18 is being rotated rapidly by the descent of the cable 28.

FIGURE 5 illustrates a detailed elevational view of another type of braking or locking device 50 used in conjunction with each of the winding shafts 18 for each of the compartments 12. The locking device 50 is used for locking the shaft 18 in any position so as to prevent rotation of the shaft, and such a device is necessary to hold the cables 20 and 28 in their wound up positions relative to the doors 14 and 16 of a compartment. The locking device 50 also includes means for hydraulically releasing the lock so that the shaft 18 is free to rotate and to release the cable 28 from its wound up position. Alternatively the locking device can be manually released in a manner that will be described.

Each locking device 50 includes a ratchet wheel 52 rigidly mounted on the shaft 18. Mounted adjacent the ratchet wheel is a pawl means which is pivotally mounted to engage the teeth of the ratchet. In the FIGURE 5 view, the compartment of the vessel is to the left of the figure and the outboard direction of the vessel is to the right. The teeth in the ratchet wheel 52 are constructed to permit free rotation of the ratchet wheel in a clock-' wise direction so that the shaft 18 can be easily rotated by the endless chain 30 (through the connecting cable 40) without interference from the pawl 54. On the other hand, counterclockwise movement of the ratchet wheel is prevented by the engagement of the pawl with the ratchet teeth. Thus, the pawl normally locks the ratchet wheel from any movement that would permit the shaft 18 to wind in a direction for opening the bottom doors of the dump scow.

The pawl 54 is mounted so that it can be released from a locking engagement with the ratchet wheel, and the means for releasing the pawl comprises both a hydraulic means and a manual means associated with each locking device 50. The hydraulically operated means for releasing the pawl includes a hydraulic piston and cylinder means 56 which is of known construction and which is mounted to extend in a direction to the left so as to lift the pawl away from the ratchet. The connecting arm of the hydraulic cylinder and piston carries a member 58 for receiving a pin from an arm member 60. The arm member 60 is positioned to lift the pawl away from the ratchet when the arm member is lifted, and of course, it is apparent that the arm 60 is lifted when the member 58 is extended so as to engage the pin 62 carried by the arm member. The member 58 is provided with a slot for receiving the pin 62 so that the pawl can be automatically deflected away from the ratchet when it is rotating in a clockwise direction. A conduit 64 is illustrated as being connected to 56 for conveying hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic piston and cylinder combination 56. Separate conduits 64 are connected to each of the locking devices 50 and all of the conduits lead to a central control station where they may be incorporated with valving and control devices. From the central control station, as schematically illustrated in FIGURE 7, the separate locking devices may be selectively released by an operator who remotely controls all of the locking devices from the central control station.

The manual means for releasing the pawl 54 of a locking device 50 comprises a lever arm 66 which is affixed to a portion of the arm member 60 so as to lift the same when the lever arm 66 is lifted. The lever 66 is broken away in the illustration of FIGURE 5, but comprises any suitable type of lever means which can be manually operated to release the pawl 54 from the ratchet 52.

FIGURE 6 illustrates an elevational view of a tensioning device 68 carried at one end of the endless chain for adjusting the tension on the endless chain. The tensioning device 68 includes a turnbuckle 70, or other ad justment means, which serves to adjust the distance between a fixed mounting means 72 and a movable or slidable mounting means 74. The slidable mounting means carries the pulley or sheave 34 which guides the endless chain 30, and it will be apparent that tension on the chain 30 can be adjusted by adjusting the turnbuckle 70.

In addition to the features just described, the present invention also contemplates a cooperation and interaction of the various devices used for raising and lowering doors of individual compartments. For example, all control functions may be carried out from a central control station at one end of the vessel. By providing known electrical and hydraulic connections to the various devices, a single operator can release a pair of dump doors by hydraulically, releasing a locking device 50 associated with the doors. Also, he can control the dumping rate by actuating a braking device associated with the same pair of doors. When the dumping action is complete, the hook 42 and cable 40 associated with the compartment can be connected by another person to the endless chain 30 and the first operator can then actuate the motor 36 to drive the endless chain in a direction which will rotate the shaft 18 and wind up the cable 28. All of these functions can be carried out quickly and with a minimum of effort, and the endless chain means provides an economical and reliable means for effecting the closing of compartment doors.

Although the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, variations will become apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the windlasses which serve to wind the shaft 18 may be positioned in a suitable place along the individual shafts 1 8, and the windlasses may be constructed in combination with the braking devices, if desired. Also the motor means which drives the endless chain may be a conventional internal combustion engine or an electric motor, as well as the above mentioned hydraulic motor.

What is claimed is: t

1. In door operating apparatus for actuating doors in a dump scow having a plurality of compartments and a pair of doors associated with the bottom of each compartment for dumping the same, the improvement comprising:

a separate winding shaft associated with each pair of compartment doors, each said winding shaft having a means for receiving winding cables connected to said pair of doors for raising and lowering said doors,

a separate cable wound around a portion of each winding shaft for turning said shaft when said cable is unwound from the shaft,

21 power operated endless chain means positioned substantially parallel to said winding shafts and connectable to free ends of said separate cables for unwinding the separate cables from said shafts, whereby a pair of doors is raised upon unwinding the separate cable associated with said pair of doors when said separate cable is connected to said power operated means, and

separate locking means for holding each winding shaft in a fixed position when it is desired to lock doors of a given compartment in a closed position, and including power operated means for releasing said locking means.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein said endless chain means is positioned alongside of all compartments of a dump scow, whereby the doors of :any compartment may be selectively raised by connecting the separate cable, associated with the compartment, to the endless chain means and actuating the endless chain means.

3. The improvement of claim 1 and including braking means for controlling the speed of rotation of each shaft when its associated locking means is released to open said doors.

4. In door operating apparatus for closing doors mounted in the bottoms of compartments of a dump scow, wherein said doors are raised and lowered by a first cable means attached to a separate winding shaft associated with each compartment of said dump scow, the improvement comprising:

an endless chain means positioned to pass by each winding shaft of said dump scow and including means for moving said chain means past said winding shafts in a path which is substantially parallel to said winding shafts, and

second cable means attached to and wound around each of the winding shafts of each compartment for driving said shafts when said second cable means are selectively connected to said moving endless chain means, whereby the first cable means of any compartment is wound up on said winding shaft for raising its associated doors when said second cable of the same compartment is unwound from its respective winding shaft.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 806,807 12/1905 Hayes et al. 114-36 2,297,043 9/1942 Zimmerman 4995 X 2,869,859 1/1959 Schmidt 49-95 DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Primary Examiner. JAMES K. BELL, Assistant Examiner. 

